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Gaming machines which provide players awards in primary or base games are well known. Gaming machines generally require the player to place or make a wager to activate the primary or base game. In many of these gaming machines, the award is based on the player obtaining a winning symbol or symbol combination and on the amount of the wager (i.e., the higher the wager, the higher the award). Symbols or symbol combinations which are less likely to occur usually provide higher awards.
Secondary or bonus games are also known in gaming machines. These secondary or bonus games usually provide an additional award to the player. Secondary or bonus games usually do not require an additional wager by the player to be activated. Secondary or bonus games are generally activated or triggered upon an occurrence of a designated triggering symbol or triggering symbol combination in the primary or base game of the gaming machine. For instance, a bonus symbol occurring on a payline on the third reel of a three reel slot machine may trigger the secondary bonus game on that gaming device. Part of the enjoyment and excitement of playing certain gaming machines is the occurrence or triggering of the secondary or bonus game (even before the player knows how much the bonus award will be). In other words, obtaining a bonus event and a bonus award in the bonus event is part of the enjoyment and excitement for players.
Server based gaming is also known. In a server based gaming environment, a central server is configured to alter the content and/or settings of a particular gaming machine in communication with the central server. In this manner, the gaming machine in communication with the central server is configured to receive certain commands and/or prompts from the central server which will cause the game to act in a specific manner.
Side bets are also a known feature in gaming. Side bets enable a player to place one or more wagers on one or more aspects of a players gaming experience which is in addition to any primary or base game wager. In one form, a side bet is directed to a specific feature or function that the player desires, such as a side wager on a bonus game, a side wager to be eligible to win a progressive award, and a side wager on the generation of a specific game outcome. Such known side bets or side wagers do not typically affect the awards of a paytable.
A gaming establishment or casino may include thousands of gaming devices. In certain known side bet systems, a fixed relationship exists between each gaming device and the side bets associated with that gaming device. A player at a specific gaming device may only place the dedicated side bets associated with that specifically played gaming device. That is, known gaming devices are pre-configured for specific side bets because the side bet is accounted for in the programming of the gaming device (which resides at the gaming device). Moreover, known gaming devices are further pre-configured for specific side bets because these gaming devices are designed with a dedicated side bet button as part of the button panel. Thus, it is a relatively simple task to track and allocate the side bets and side bet payouts on a stand alone gaming machine through conventional methods such as those already in place to track standard wagers and payouts.
In server based gaming, however, tracking and accounting of side bets and side bet payouts is a challenge because of the large number of different games and side bets available with each game. There is no existing way for efficiently and reliably keeping track of all side bet wager amounts and all side bet payouts for a virtually unlimited amount of side bet options offered at hundreds or even thousands of different gaming machines in a gaming system.
Accordingly, a need exists to provide a gaming system wherein all of the different types of side bets associated with different games are properly accounted and appropriately tracked. There is also a continuing need to provide new and different gaming machines and gaming systems as well as new and different ways to provide awards to players including bonus awards. There is also a continuing need to provide new and different linked or related gaming machines.